All about 2024: Get Set Action

I am struggling to start this year-end review because it is all a blur. Feels like a lot has happened, yet nothing has happened. I don’t know if that makes sense, but here I am at 11:06 pm on 31st Dec, 2024, writing down my yearly reflection and maintaining the ritual.

I have come to a realization that rituals/streaks have a charm and they work — not sure why, but for me, yes. More on that someday later.

Just in case you are remotely interested in reading this, let me try recalling what has happened so far.

Gosh, it’s been a full year since I have worked full time for a job. I left my job in Dec 2023 with the intention to work on micro-SaaS, build stuff, and earn a living out of it.

Did that happen? Partially yes. I built some stuff, but was I able to make a decent living out of it? A hell no.

But I guess I was the happiest during these days. Waking up to absolutely nothing, thinking, and doing.

BTW, if I have to sum up this year in one word, it would be “ACTION.” I acted upon a lot, bought a lot of domains, and learned to execute, and that’s the highlight. Huh, I just sighed and that was a long one.

From digital product to physical, to hiring interns & a social media manager, to doing everything on my own, did it all. Been there, done that.

Here is a brief account on the work front:

Built these:

• createful.co: #4 product of the day, 6 sales, 76 users
• formlite.co: 85 users, 2 sales
• aipatterns.co: 59 newsletter subscribers since the soft launch.
• getworksheet.co: It was without registration for a long while, just added authentication one month back and already has 71 registered users, all organic.
• Redirect chrome plugin: 519 users so far
• My personal website

Tried these too:

• Tried growing an Instagram page — Failed
• Tried growing my own distribution — Failed
• Tried working on a mental health idea, spent a good chunk of time, only to find that there are a lot of things that are out of my control — Failed.
• Started a YouTube podcast, did just one episode.
• Also, started a short films YouTube channel

Did these too:

• Consulted a pre-seed funded startup.
• Last month of 2024, started selling physical calendars, almost sold out the first batch. Considering it a win.

On the personal front:

Health-wise: I was on track, worked out a lot in the first half, was in good shape, but the last quarter of this year ruined it all. Currently at the peak of my weight, ever.

Highlights:

• Got my first paying customer for the micro-SaaS. In fact, in total, I got 8–12 combining two of my products. One year back, I would die to be in this situation.

• Acquired execution capabilities. Previously I used to be dependent on some developers to build out my idea. Now I can do barebones things on my own, which is a major thing for me.

• Executed a lot. Caught the bug of “Bias to Action.”
• Understood that I have a great risk appetite. Leaving a high-paying job to earn peanuts is something that I understood a lot of people wish to do but can’t.
• Createful became #4 product of the day.
• Rekindled some long-lost friendship.

Lowlights:

• Couldn’t sustain the initial momentum, either because of a lack of strong insights about the market or because of my shiny object syndrome.
• Floated only on the surface. Except for one idea, I didn’t dive deep into any other and hence didn’t have really good insights to carry the work on.
• I wish I could have carried the momentum that I had in the first half of the year with respect to my health.

Epiphanies:

• There is no such thing as “easy money.”
• It always takes longer than you initially thought.
• Action brings information.

Let’s talk some numbers now.

Social media:

• Twitter (X): I had deleted my account and created a new one. It’s hard to grow on Twitter nowadays, unless you have a pretty face. Sorry, not sorry. Grew it to 80 followers.
• LinkedIn: 4211 connections/followers.

Now, when I look back at it, I created a lot. In fact, like a lot of videos. More than ~50, I am blown. Maybe my calling is being a content creator, and I am not looking at it that way.

Monetary:

Made ~$3,435.51 from services and products. A major chunk of it service. $230 to be precise from products.

BTW, I haven’t added the calendar sales yet, because the books are in works, but it is decent. So, some signals towards the end of this year.

Misc:

Didn’t write any blogs this year except this one. Also, didn’t read a lot, just a few bits and pieces here and there.

I did travel to two new places, like Rishikesh & Kolkata. Not a lot but better than last year, I guess.

Grateful for:

• Mohit: For being there through thick and thin.
• Mridul: For being the listener and best flatmate.
• Family for being there.
• And you know who you are.

Note for the next year:

Refuel: I need a refuel, and by the way, I ain’t stopping. You will see more products from me, and I ain’t gonna stop till I make something click.

TBH, I am wiser because of all the actions I took, so hopefully the randomness will coincide and things will have depth now that the basics are out of the way.

To better health, family and wealth. Here is to new year. Cheers.

See you on the other side.